Time
by Yangu Fuyu
Summary: Chaos reins when a blonde sixth Hokage is suddenly flung back in time… To The Shippuuden era. OOC AU A/N: Summary changed slightly for future events in the manga
1. Missing!

Time

Summary

Chaos reins when the sixth Hokage is suddenly flung back in time… To The Shippuuden era. OOC

_(A/N: Just for reference:_

_Naruto era – 13_

_Shippuuden – 15 _

_After Shippuuden – 25)_

Chapter 1 – Missing?!

'Naruto!' A female voice yelled while running along the halls, 'where are you…?!!' She ran into the Hokage's room, he wasn't there, he wasn't anywhere else, and that last she had heard of him, was that he was called… the Akatsuki were back. That only meant one thing…

However, she wouldn't believe that.

She gave a despaired whimper, and kept looking.

--

She was crying. It had been nearly a day… she still couldn't find him.

When the council announced that the Hokage was missing, she collapsed into a crying fit, many people tried to comfort her,

However, it didn't matter, nothing mattered.

She wouldn't believe that he was gone.

He couldn't be gone.

She would never believe he could be gone

She laughed a despaired laugh; she couldn't remember the day he would be missing.

It was unthinkable.

Though that many people knew about that he was a Jinchuuriki, many people still liked him. They didn't hate him. Some even idolised him, because ever since he was born, he was protecting the village from Kyuubi.

The first night, there was a storm, a bad forbidding storm. The lightning was red. The thunder sounded ever so near even after three hours of ragging.

For some reason, she knew that the storm wasn't normal, and that it had something to do with Naruto… and perhaps the Akatsuki, but that thought didn't make her feel any better.

For the first time in years, Sakura was truly alone.


	2. Forlorn happenings

Chapter 2 – Forlorn happenings

Tsunade sat in the chair, and watched the weird storm with a forlorn face, she didn't like the storm one bit, and everything told her that it wasn't normal, to the red lightning to the ragging thunder that had been going on for more then three hours. Then of course if she knew what was going on, she would have been a little less scared. Not that she showed she was scared.

It was night now, all shops had closed early from the storm, and everyone probably knew that they weren't going to go to sleep that night.

The storm suddenly dissipated. All signs that the storm had been in mid rage was gone. The only knowledge of the storm ever taking place was the rain floes running over the village, and the little rivers running down the roads. Somewhere something was wrong. Nothing ever caused red thunder, and then for it to dissipate in mid rage for nothing. It was foreboding that Tsunade knew.

It was morning, and everything that happened last night, there was nothing to say it was ever there, the left over rain had gone by sunrise. However, everyone was still in bed, besides Tsunade, who of course, rarely slept. She was waiting for Sakura to come in, asking about this or that, or maybe she'd rant about how annoying Naruto is, or, perhaps maybe Sakura would drag Naruto with her, and he'd ask right away if there was anything to do, because he was bored.

She had a funny feeling something was going to happen, something that could be either good or bad. Perhaps both.

Then ecstatic blue lightning engulfed the room, and Tsunade stood up, rather quickly. Right in the middle of the lightning was the red lightning of last night. However, strangely, nothing was catching on fire. No one else had sensed a disturbance in the Hokage's room.

Suddenly as the lightning had come, it left. However, it left a man in its wake.

The said man collapsed to his knee a second later, and had a kunai in one of his hands. However, he just looked plan out of breath. Nor, did Tsunade think he knew where he was at that moment.

However, considering, he wasn't getting up, no one was coming in to ask what was wrong… She seriously was at a loss… Was he a threat or not?

However, he did remind her of someone…

He suddenly jerked up, seemingly having his strength back. He was still kneeling on the floor, but now he was staring at her, frowning as well

'Tsunade…?'

Great, he knew her name.

'…Uh…' Tsunade responded while blinking.

He still was frowning as he got up, and as he did, Tsunade noticed that he was wearing a long black cloak of sorts, which had sleeves and held around his neck. He wore a white shirt underneath that, black trousers that went with the cloak. She also noticed that the kunai he held had seemingly disappeared. His blue eyes were alert, that looked like it was, an old habit, or that it was drilled into him, his blonde hair seemed a little ragged, as if he was fighting a second ago. He also had a Konoha headband. There looked as if their might have been a scratch on one of his checks, but it seemed old because it was healing.

Then he seemed to notice something, as he looked around the room.

'Oh hell, where did they send me…?' He asked most likely himself.

'"_They"…_?' Tsunade asked the man his blue eyes then looked back to her, from once looking around the room.

'Hm-m, the Akatsuki…' He looked around again, and he seemed a lot more puzzled.

'You know of the Akatsuki?' She asked, but he seemed to have not heard her, he then looked back to Tsunade after awhile of looking more puzzled. '….What year is it…?'

Tsunade frowned and told him what the year was, why he would want to know, was seriously beyond her.

He seemed to chuckle. 'So they sent me back in time, huh?'


	3. Rereadings

Chapter 3 – Re-readings

Naruto was lying down on his side, trying to think of what to do. The foreign wall of the guest room in the Hokage tower was to plan. All of these things were now messed up all because of the Akatsuki. However, they liked screwing things up. So it made little difference.

He must have drifted of, because his arm he was lying on was starting to sting, and the faint aura of flower petals came to his senses, he sighed, and forgot where he was.

'This isn't helping, you know, with you staring at my back, Sakura.'

He turned around sensing that she jumped a mile, he sat up straighter remembering where he was. She was now after recovering from the shock, now looked at him with a frown, he could plainly see the question plastered to her: _How does this guy know my name? He wasn't even looking at me! Do I even know him? He looks familiar…_

Naruto sighed again, and then lay back down, with his hands underneath his head, and stared at the ceiling, he needed to get out of here. Otherwise he'd start being a Nara with their sayings.

She looked very uncomfortable, he reasoned that she must be here for a reason, so he looked to her, and gave an asking face to her, but she still seemed to stare at him.

'Why are you here?' He asked her after awhile of her being in silent torture.

'Oh!' She finally came out of it. 'Tsunade-sama asked me to see if you were alright.'

'Uh-huh…' He said in response, and went back to looking at the ceiling.

'Are you okay…?'

'Hm…?' He asked her, not looking at her.

'You keep looking at the ceiling, is there something wrong…?' She asked of the man, in silent worry.

She obviously hasn't been filled in, they probably didn't know if she should be told or not, so left it to me. This sucks, she'll totally kill me, if and when I get back. Naruto sighed; he didn't want to tell her…Though things, for her, are going to start getting weird…

'I'm trying to concentrate.'

'…Oh…I'm sorry…' She told him, and looked rather ashamed of herself.

He looked towards her, and frowned, in wonder what she meant; she was confusing.

'Why are you sorry?'

'You're trying to concentrate…'

'Yeah…? So…?'

She remained silent, so Naruto went back to looking at the ceiling, she would still confuse.

In silence, he was trying to figure out if there was anything, he could do to get himself home, or if he was stuck there, or if the technique they put on him was a limited one, and would hopefully let him go back…

Somehow, he knew all of these were somehow wrong. He would, of course get back…somehow.

He sighed, and gave up; he looked to Sakura who was still standing.

'How long have you been standing like that?'

'…For a while…why do you want to know…?' She asked him, suspiciously.

'It'll hurt you, sit.'

She nearly blushed, there was no seat in the room, if she were to sit; it would be on the bed.

'Sit on the bed; I'm not going to chew you whole, you know.' He reprimanded her, as if he were scolding a little child.

At this, she did blush scarlet, which he found highly amusing. When she saw that he was trying not to grin, she stalked all the way to the end of the bed where his feet where, pushed them aside and sat cross-legged on the bed, with a look of defiance.

This only made him laugh more. She gave him a death glare; he stopped laughing, but still grinned.

'At least you're not standing up now.' He told her, humour in his voice.

'At least you're not ten feet under the ground.' She replied, with no humour in her voice.

'Ouch! Coming from the fair maiden herself…!' He said grinning, and then watched the after effects of his words on her.

'What… did… you… say?'

Naruto repeated his words that had affected her so, grinning. He was finding this most hilarious; even if she was confused, she was still blowing steam out of her ears.

She looked as if she was going to kill him, officially.

'I do wonder what the fair maiden is thinking, though I can guess it's about me—'

As soon as she heard his words, not waiting for the next sentence to finish, she pummelled him into the bed, but as soon as her fist came into contact, it wasn't him, it was the bed.

He stood over by the door, laughing.

She turned to glare at him. 'I hate you.'

Her words made him grin even more. She was still funny, even though she wanted to kill him.

'You don't even know my name, and you already hate me.' He looked as if he was now pouting; she stared at his changed emotions so quickly.

'Fine…Tell me your name, coz then, I can go back to saying, "_insert name here_, I hate you."'

She had that look of defiance of her face again, which made Naruto grin again, which started to piss Sakura off highly.

'You wouldn't believe me, even if I did tell you…' He told her, and he highly doubted she would believe him, even if she wanted to know. It would serve to confuse her more.

'Hah, try me.'

He looked like he was going to say something. Though, held up a hand, a known signal to be quiet, and became quiet himself. For some reason she became scared.

He moved in a second he was in front of Sakura, then the door slide open, by the time it was fully open, Sakura was behind the door opening, while she didn't know where he was. She saw a shadow of a man walk in, who it was, she didn't know by the shadow, as it was distorted from her angle. The door then closed, she didn't have time to think, and as in a flash he had a kunai to the other man's neck.

'…Kakashi…?' The man looked stunned, though he didn't pull his kunai away.

'…Minato…?'

'Oh hell…' The man said as he pulled the kunai away.

Sakura stared at the two, and watched as the kunai that he held disappear.

'I'm not Minato how could I even be him?' When Kakashi didn't look as if he was going to answer, hell, he even looked confused, he looked for Sakura. '…. Sakura…?'

Kakashi turned around, and saw her, as she walked over to them, then turned back to him.

'If you're not Minato, who are you? And how do you know the name?'

'Hm…I think everyone knows who Minato is…'

Sakura looked blank, suggesting she didn't know the name, and he sighed, and continued.

'I don't think you two will believe me… but here. I come from the future.'

They both looked sceptically at him, and he sighed.

'Told you, you wouldn't believe me…'

Sakura stepped forward.

'How'd that happen?'

'Ah! Fair maiden is alliance!'

Sakura glared, and he had that grin which told her he was mucking around, which also seemed to piss her off. Then he seemed to stop grinning, and have a serious face, and then he walked to the bed and sat down.

'It was Pein…Some people might know him as Nagato...'

Sakura was at a loss, though Kakashi looked stunned.

'Who…?' Sakura asked, frowning.

He looked at her, and then he had seemed to forget, yet again, where he was. 'Oh, the leader of Akatsuki…'

Both mouths dropped.

'He seemed to have wanted to come into Konoha for something, probably for Kyuubi…' He said while one of his forefingers as if he was cleaning one ear.

Both Sakura and Kakashi stared at him, for saying that as if he talked about it all day long, and if the topic was of natural occurrence.

'…So I fought him. And somehow I was sent here, I think Madara had something to do with that… though….' He kept on, looking to one side, and looking as if he was thinking.

'Huh? You fought him…? Why?'

'Hm…?' He looked to Sakura, from being in thought about what he was talking about. 'Oh, I don't have any markings….' He was seemingly was talking to himself, he then stood up, and they stared at him.

'…Naruto…?!'


	4. Anger is NOT the key!

Chapter 4 – Anger is NOT the key!

Somehow, they were heading towards Tsunade's room…

'I don't get why we are going to go see Tsunade… I mean, she already knows I'm here.' Naruto told them both, clearly not understanding.

'I swear I really don't know if you're actually being an idiot, or playing at one.' Sakura said, and noticed the man did not have has whiskers on his face as he did have two minutes ago; she blinked at the sight in none understanding. This man was Naruto…?

'Fair maiden is no longer an alliance!' He said, seemingly sulking.

'Stop calling me that!' Sakura fumed at him.

'Why?' He had changed his mood again, and was now pouting.

Sakura didn't understand, nor did Kakashi.

They got to the Hokage's room, and both Naruto and Sakura were bickering, like there was no tomorrow, Kakashi looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else, and never wished he went into the guest room.

In the room were Shizune, Tsunade, and Naruto.

'Aw, this isn't fair, Sakura.' Naruto was saying, after she had just murmured she would murder him in his sleep.

She looked at him, then to the people and grinned. Tsunade looked up.

'So they managed to drag you all the way here, huh?' Tsunade asked of him.

'Hey, it wasn't as if I was gonna run away. I'd run to the hills now, of course, fair maiden is looking as if she'll kill me in my sleep.' He looked positively horrified as the thought cross both minds.

'WHY DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME THAT…!?'

'…Fair maiden doesn't like me.'

'I HATE YOU!'

'Naw…'

Tsunade looked at the lot in a way that looked confused.

'What is wrong with you all?' She noticed that the younger Naruto looked very confused.

'The fair maiden hates me.'

'STOP CALLING ME THAT!'

He looked to her, and said. 'Hah…why…? It's fun pissing you off.'

She looked murderous, she went to hit him, but in a flash he was by the window, grinning, he waved towards Sakura. Everyone turned, and got whiplash from doing so.

'How'd you do that?' Half of the people questioned of him, while he half-grinned at them.

'Stay still!' Sakura growled towards him.

'Hah, why…?' He asked her.

'SO I CAN PUMMEL YOU INTO THE GROUND!'

'Hah! No way…!' With that, he vanished to the other side of the room.

'Come back here!'

'No way in hell! Why would I stay still? YOU'RE AFTER ME!'

'I think we have a new Yellow Flash…' Tsunade muttered.

Naruto looked up from, dodging Sakura, and frowned towards them.

'What about Minato?'

Most people stared at him dumbfounded.

'How…?'

Naruto was on the other side of the room again, and apparently didn't hear the question, as Sakura went to hit him again.

Naruto laughed, deciding that enough was enough, and then vanished again, and then Sakura was now being held around the waist on her side, her face stared at the ground, looking well past shocked.

'Now, now, no fighting in the Hokage's room, this place still stands when I get there…Which is an achievement, I'll tell you.' He told her. She said nothing, as she still looked towards the floor. Then he put her down, 'Let's all just play nice.'

She calmed down. Everyone else in the room was still where they were ten minutes ago, too stunned to move.

'I seriously don't know why you just did that.' Tsunade told him.

He looked to her, and shrugged light handily, and then he looked to his younger self, then walked over to him, and placed his hand on his head. After a minute or so, he laughed and said. 'He doesn't know a thing!'

'What do you expect?'

The younger one glared and the older one laughed.

'Was I really THAT much of an idiot?'

'YES,'

'Naw, fair maiden…!'

'You're really starting to piss me off!'

'You do know, you're never gonna hit m–?

'Try it!'

He vanished again, but they didn't see where he went.

'You know…' They all looked up, so see him sitting on the ceiling. They stared in astonishment. 'Anger really isn't the key to anything, I mean, the last time I got angry; Hey, I nearly tore down half a country side…'

'WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!' Half-panicked half-worried shouts sounded up to him.

He frowned, and looked positively confused while frowning he said. 'Seemed like fun at the time?'

They all stared at him at how he said that so calmly, as if it meant nothing.

'You've must be kidding me…' Sakura said, looking as if he wore her out.

'Uh, no, you're not pregnant, damn the horror.'

'WHAT THE HELL…?! WHERE'D THAT COME FROM?!

'I'm assuming it came from my mouth… however, if you would like to check, go ahead.'

'I'M SO GONNA MURDER YOU!'

'It would be unhealthy for you, and not very good anger management skills. What did I tell you about anger?' He asked, and he how he did it made everyone think that he was lecturing her.

'I'm seriously gonna kill you.'

'Aw, come on, no fair, I'm only playing around…'

'WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!'

'A lot, apparently.'

'Jackass...'

'No, my name is not Jack, nor'm I a donkey. Seriously, do I look like a donkey to you?'

'YES YOU DO!!'

'Fair maiden hurts so mean!' Now; he was pouting and looked as if he was going to cry.

'I'll do more then that!'

He lit up, and pointed down to her. 'YOU ANSWERED TO IT!!!'

'I'M SERIOUSLY GONNA MURDER YOU!!!'

'Like to see you try…'

'Does anyone see this convosation between them just go around in circles? With Sakura saying, "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!" and Naruto smart mouthing his mouth of in replies?'

Everyone in that room who was watching the two bicker, nodded silently, trying their bests to keep quiet, not really wanting to receive either one's wrath. While knowing Sakura's, and only assuming the older Naruto.

'Do something about Naruto!' Sakura nearly screamed.

'Me?' Both of the two asked of her.

Her eye twitched as she pointed to the older one, which was looking down to them all with feign innocence.

'THE OLDER ONE, YOU IDIOT!'

'Well, you know you could have said.' The older one said while sniggering, while appearing next to her, and bowed mockingly to her.

'I shall shut up.'

However, he still sniggered at her twitching eye.


	5. The Fall Down

**A/N: for all those people who are uncomfortable with the idea of the whole OlderNaruto liking YoungerSakura thing, then you'd better stop reading. However, if you're looking for some answers to this: the only reason he does certain things about her is because to him, she is still the same person he as known since whenever he met her. To him she was the first person around him who had the choice to run away when she found out about the whole Jinchuuriki thing, but she didn't, and no matter what time, he will always like her for it, and no matter what the Time, he will always try to save her, he will always try to protect her.  
It's just the way he is.  
Deal.**

Chapter 5 – The Fall Down

Naruto had his hands behind his head again, lying on the bed in the guest room, looking up at the ceiling. He sensed several people walk past the door, but none of them came to open it.  
He was bored.

He sighed, then got up, and walked out the room, heading for the library. Maybe he could find something in there.  
His head hurt on the way there, but he didn't take any notice of it.

He wondered through the roes of books, lazily. He doubted there would be a genre on time travel or Time effecting jutsu, but all the same, he turned down the roe of T…Only to find Sakura there…

'Sakura…?'

She jumped a mile, hugged the book and turned in fright.

'My god, what are you doing here?'

'Looking for a book…?'

She looked as if she was going to faint.

'You actually go into a library now?'

'Uh… yeah…'

She looked astonished, but let it drop.

'I'm assuming you're here for the same reason, what're you looking for?' He asked her with a questioning frown.

She looked down at the book in her hand.

'Well, um… trying to see if I could be of any help…'

He looked at her, as she gave him the book she was holding.

'I'm not sure if it'll help…' She told him, as she watched him read the captions on the book.

He smiled to her, and she noticed that it wasn't one of those brooding looks, which he always had when he was "playing" around.

'Will you keep looking…?' He questioned her.

She nodded silently. He smiled at her again. Then walked past her, on the way, he kissed her forehead. She turned around at great speed, and watched him walk away.  
She didn't dare to move.

Nearly an hour went past, before she could even walk up to him, and noticed that he was rubbing his eye every so often, and he flinched when he did so.  
'Are you bad at reading?' She was curious, she had never seen him ACTUALLY read before, sue, it was an older version of the Naruto she knew. However, it still had to be the same on some levels.  
'Huh?' He looked up to where her voice came from. 'I'm not that bad…'  
She frowned at him.  
'Then why're you rubbing your eye…?'  
He put down the book, and looked at her, the eye he was rubbing wasn't even swollen, she knew why, but didn't raise anything to it, and he was frowning now.  
'I'm frustrated, and I've been in pain since this morning.'  
Her head picked up in alarm.  
'In pain…?' She echoed worriedly.  
He nodded, and sighed.  
'It is nothing, if it was; he would have alerted me by now…'  
She became confused.

'…Who's he…?' She questioned with a blink. He gave her a meaningful look, in that slow second she saw his whiskers flash in and out of appearance while his eyes changed from blue to red then back to blue, and she then understood. '…Oh…Right…'  
He got up, and looked at her again, not with any particular emotion. 'Did you find any more books?'  
She shook her head, and he sighed. 'I doubt this'll be any good.' He started waving the book in the air. 'It'll sing a baby to sleep.' With that, he slowly walked of the way he came, to put the book away, she followed quietly.

It was the fifth time in two minutes, since they had left the library, he had put his hand towards a spot above his left eye and for some reason it pained him. She frowned worriedly.

'Are you okay…?'

He looked up, surprised. Then hoaxed a smile, 'I'm fine, Sakura…'

She looked unconvinced; she had seen those hoaxed smiles too many times.

-_-

In the morning, the same spot was hurting still, the same throbbing pain, nothing more or less. It was a surprise he actually got to sleep._  
Okay, what's going on?__**  
You finally answer me, and that is what I get?  
**__Sorry! You normally just yell at me.__**  
True to that, Kit, but they are here, thought you would have sensed them by now.**__  
So, that's the uneasy feeling I've had since yesterday…_

Kyuubi didn't reply to him, he didn't expect one.

Naruto stretched his senses, far enough to see that Sakura was heading the way to his room. No one seemed alarmed. He walked out of the room, and in a second, he was in eyesight of Sakura, seeing him she yelped in fright.

'Oh god…!'

'Sorry.' She had fallen in her fright, and now was breathing harder than usual, with her hand covering her chest area.

'What's the rush?!' She exclaimed glaring up at him.

'There's a rush.'  
He grasped her arm and pulled her up.

In her daze, she didn't see the world passing by, the next thing she saw was Tsunade rapidly standing, and everyone else she knew in the same room, stare in her direction. Naruto still, but gently put her to the floor, knowing that she'd fall if he didn't.

'Unexpected…'

'Sorry, needed to come, Sakura is needed as well, so I pulled her along to.'

Everyone but who knew him was staring at him stunned-wonder-like.

'Okay…'  
'What's wrong?' Tsunade knew enough of this Naruto for him to only coming barging in, for if there was something wrong. Not that she should know ANYTHING at all about the future.

'They're coming.'

Everyone stared, and Sakura tried to get up, she fell to the ground, only to be held up again by the older Naruto.

'You really should sit down…' He told her worriedly.

'You… shouldn't have made me come along…'

'That's why I'm telling you to sit down, now sit, or I'll make you.' He told her with a tone of voice that made her a tad scared.

Sakura sat down on the floor where she already was, she really didn't want to see the measures he would use to make her do something for her own good.

'_They…_?'

'Yep, the Akatsuki...' He replied as if he were talking about a bug while looking out the window.

Panic ran through the room. Naruto walked over to the younger one, and put his hand on his head.

'Nice to know, so many people want you dead.' He told the young version of himself.

'Nice to know I don't care?' The younger blonde replied frowning.

Naruto laughed. 'Half the people that are coming are dead in my time. Expect Pein, he just doesn't wanna die.'

'What about…?'

'Orochimaru's group…?'

They all nodded, they all caught on who the person was.

'Hmm…' He looked like he was thinking. 'All dead…'

'What about …?'

'In the city, under heavy surveillance…'

They all stared; he looked as if he was bored.

'Believe me; it was hard to let him back.'

Naruto started to walk, when Sakura suddenly stood up, and grasped his arm for support, she wasn't quite sure if her legs would hold her, and the undertone of his voice when what he was stated.

'Why?' She voiced to him.

'Apart from the three year absent thing? He came here with the Akatsuki, wanting to kill all of Konoha, and after trying to go after Killerbee.'

'Who's Killerbee?'

He frowned down to her, and then set her on the floor, and making sure, she stayed there this time. 'The Eighth-Jinchuuriki, bijuu is half bull half squid…thing. Yeah…Don't fool with him…. He's scary, learnt a lot from Kyuubi…. That was even worse…' Naruto looked as if he was frowning even more. 'Actually… he already knew all the crap, why the damn, he already knew how to control it… Meh… anyways, if you come across some random dude, who can nearly kill Sasuke twice, do not get in his way…oh besides you…' He looked to his younger self who already had dots for eyes. 'Go learn how to control Kyuubi when you're over 4-tails.'

'What…!?'

'Meh….' He said as he scratched the back of his head, knowing he had said too much.

'How'd the heck… DO YOU KNOW HOW?!' The younger blonde looked just about ready to jump up and down.

'If I couldn't control him, how the heck would I be….? Gah! Sakura do the honours and whack him for me.'

Sakura whacked him after she was able to get up, leaning on the older Naruto for support.

'There we go! I'm going now must haunt down people who are dead. Yay, DEAD PEOPLE!' However, there was no humour in his voice it was flat, it made several people want to back away from him and run away with their tails in-between their legs.  
He made sure Sakura was able to stay on her feet and slowly let his hands release her, though the look on his face, and knowing his reflexes, he would be able to grasp her again, if she faltered. She didn't.

'What ARE you doing?' Sakura asked him, seeing the look in his eyes; he was watching her intently, still making sure she wouldn't fall.

'Dunno.' He covered himself.

'What…?!' She bought it.

'Surprised?' He was going along with it now.

'Like hell!' So was she.

Naruto frowned. 'Believe me, or not. I don't care, for what I do care, is the Akatsuki coming now. I'm going now.'

'Wait!' Tsunade and Sakura called, and he turned his head as he stopped. 'Will you need help?'

'Probably… Sakura…' She looked up, and blinked several times, as if she didn't know why he called her name, so did the many others in the room. 'I'll need your help.' She blinked again. 'Anyone who wants to help can, who can't… you might wanna evacuate them.'

Tsunade nodded and Shizune ran out the room, to give the order on her behalf, while so, Naruto walked out the room, a second later followed by Sakura, who didn't actually know why he needed her help, then everyone else.

Sakura looked up to the older Naruto as she caught up to him, his eyes were a dangerous blue colour, that she had not seen before, she was frowning, he blinked and then looked down to her, frowning. Sakura nearly kicked herself; he was silently asking her what she wanted. She was so used to her time Naruto who was always so head-on with everything.

'Um…I was wondering why you need my help…'

She watched has her question put a side-smile on his face.

'What? Don't you wanna help?' He now was feigning hurtfulness.

She gasped. 'No—! I—! I want to help!'

He chuckled, but his face masked something she didn't catch.

'Knowing you, you'd run away from being evacuated, and I'd have to save you—' He cut himself of, and she eyed him suspiciously for it. '…Because it would happen.'  
She looked to him frowning, but he said nothing more on the matter, but the look on his face mattered a lot to her, and she would get to the bottom of it.


	6. Battling powers

Chapter 6 – Battling powers

At least an hour later, the city was deserted; others were told that enemies of Konoha were attacking. Sakura looked up, to see the calmest face of them all, and wondered if this happened when he was her age, in his own time.

'Do you know what's going to happen?' She asked the older blonde, knowing that if she wanted to ask him something, he wouldn't ask her what was wrong directly, he would wait til she asked herself, she didn't understand why he wasn't like what he was now, she only figured that time had changed him.

'Yes…' He told her, without even looking down to her.

'So, that's why you're calm?' She asked her confusion to him.

'I'm determined not to let what happened the first time.' He told her, with a tone of voice, which made her afraid of.

'What… what happened?' Sakura asked, a little afraid of what the answer would bring.

'Many lives then where destroyed…houses burnt down, the Hokage's tower fell… the Hokage wall was lit on fire…We never really did get all the scorch marks out…'

'But you said; that the Hokage's tower was still standing in your time...' Sakura said sounding confused.

'We rebuilt it.'

She stared at him, aghast and afraid.

'It won't happen this time, see? We know they're coming, my time… we didn't.' He told her in a reassuring way.

Sakura nodded, then looked in front of her to see if she could see any movement, which she couldn't, she then looked back to Naruto… well, the space of where he had just stood, for he was no longer there.

'Where did he…?' Sakura voiced blinking several times in confusion.

The one her age was looking around too, he then looked back to her with a blank look, and shrugged. When she looked again, he was back.

'You REALLY need to stop doing that.' Sakura told him a little pissed.

'I was just checking on where they were with my own eyes…' He told her, while half shrugging, yet, half amused.

'I have a question…'

He turned to himself.

'How did you let Sasuke back in…?' He asked the older blonde.

'On the account that he was being deceived by Uchiha Madara…I never got around to killing him personally…There was so many reason why I could have…Though I guess it wouldn't make a difference if I got to kill him, he might have burned…That would have been fun, pay back…' He then looked as if he was pondering something.

Tsunade, who wasn't far away, heard the name turned rather quickly to him.

'What? But… he's dead.' Her voice sounded shocked.

He turned to her, and he then blew a sigh, realising that he would have to explain himself to her.  
'He faked it, so he could later let Kyuubi into Konoha.'

Everyone blinked, even several of them fell to the floor, and he scratched the back of his head.

'Wasn't Kyuubi a natural occurrence?'

Naruto looked as if he gagged; he even coughed. 'Hell no…! Did you see Kyuubi's eyes then, til now? No wait, sorry, you wouldn't have…' He then thought for a second then started to talk again, oblivious to the way people were staring at him. 'I could show you…But I have a tendency to screw up those…' He then frowned. 'No…what I think what happened then…he really wanted to destroy Konoha, even though Kyuubi was sealed, Yondaime - Namikaze Minato was killed, among others...'

'You know a lot.' Was all of Tsunade's reply to him, it was as if she was trying to hide her shock.

'Hey…! That's the name that Kakashi-sensei thought you were!' Sakura told him a little stunned.

'Yes, well, I seemed to have taken after my father.' He was looking ahead, so, all he heard were several people hitting the ground, again, in shock, hearing the people hitting the ground looked to them with a confused look, but he was suddenly looking back to the forest.

They all looked up, to see his eyes were flashing a dangerous blue, they could swear they heard growling, he then stood sideward and had his right arm outstretched, then after a minute, what seemed to be red chakra shot from his hand.

'What the—…?' Many people tried to voice at the same time.

He then jumped backwards as a kunai came straight for him, he caught it by the ring, the surface of the kunai then beamed in blue, then he flung it back, and in the distance, they heard stone cracking, and maybe the scream of a man. However, his eyes were still flashing a dangerous blue, and they swore they could hear the growls emitting from him again, and all they really wanted was to take a very deep step away from him, as the ones nearest him saw him bare his teeth.

'Well, that was lame, thought they would do better then that.'

'What the heck…?'

He looked around and everyone was looking at him either in shock or from being afraid.

'Oh well…' He said while shrugging one shoulder.

His head looked back towards the forest, and Sakura saw them focus more, he then cursed, and looked up, she too looked up but saw nothing. She saw him gritting his teeth, he then shot some of what appeared to be red chakra sparks towards the floor, many people yelled out in shock, some even fell over, when it formed into a miniature little Kyuubi, it then growled and took of towards the building wall, then climbed up, and jumped out of sight. Sakura quickly looked towards the Naruto her age who looked as if he was going to faint from staring stunned at where the miniature was last. Before anyone could ask, he caught another kunai again.

'Seriously…? Do I really have to keep wasting Kyuubi's chakra? It's really—' he flung the kunai back to the forest. '—unfair!' the sound of crunching trees sounded, and most of the people who heard him, looking at him as if he was nuts, not that he noticed.

He then stiffened, and then jumped back, with one hand while the other threw out a kunai, to where it met an actual person, where he once stood, the man was pierced in the leg, and everyone just stared. Naruto stood up fully, and put one of his fingers to his lips and said;

'Shh.'

The man was then engulfed in a warning fire. He took off, back to the forest, they all saw that the miniature Kyuubi was back, it pranced back to Naruto, uncaring that everyone was staring at it, as if it was used to being stared at, it jumped to Naruto's shoulder just as impassive as the bearer.

'How many…?'

It didn't answer, but Naruto seemed to get something from it.

'That many, huh… more coming…?'

The thing seemed to nod its head, he nodded his head, and it jumped of his shoulder, and pranced away to where it jumped the building then out of sight.

'Tsunade...'

She looked to him; she was still trying to get over what she had just seen jumping over the wall.

'I won't give these people orders, they won't follow them…'

She nodded, and he began to tell her where to set the people to fight.

She sent eight people each to every section, and watched how the older blonde threw up a ball of red chakra which split into eight pieces, which formed miniatures, so that way each section would be covered one of the miniature Kyuubi, which people didn't really know what to do about, but it pranced along, in that way you really couldn't tell it was dangerous at all, but they all had distinctive marks about them, to tell which from which. The one he first sent of, Sakura noticed and blackened tips on each of the nine tails.

'So that's what they're doing…'

Sakura turned to him. He was talking to himself…?

'What?' She asked him, confusedly.

'They are surrounding us.' He replied to her, his tone impassive.

Sakura blinked to him.

'They are?!'

He nodded, and had a glint in his eye that she hadn't seen before.

'Two at the front, one from each side one from the behind.'

She blinked; she readied herself, but didn't really know which side to take. If the Naruto her age were here, he would already be charging of.

_Sakura, go for the one at point south, okay…?_

She nodded and didn't even seem to register, that he was just talking in her mind.

Sakura listened to the softer throat growls coming from the older Naruto, and his eyes danced from the side of his vision to the other, in wide alertness, she somewhat knew he could hear things she couldn't. Her eyes drifted to the miniature and her ears attuned to the miniature's hissing, glancing towards it, its fur on its back was sticking up, and it was very intent on whatever it was watching, it suddenly got defensive and bounded around and took of, at the same time so did Naruto. Following suit she ran in the direction he told her to go, soon enough, she encountered someone she didn't know, but knew the red cloud symbol – Akatsuki.

After a minute or two, she had him down, but he just got up again, and looked as if he wasn't hurt at all, then red chakra sparks shot from her right, as she skidded to a fast stop, the man was no longer. Sakura turned around to see Naruto with the miniature Kyuubi the one with blackened tips on the tails on his shoulder. He looked a little worried.

'Two of them, huh…Seriously, not fair…. I actually might have to bring out Kyuubi for that.'

She heard this and immediately was alarmed; she heard the threat in his voice.

'But—!'

He looked to her and grinned.

'Kit, stay with her.'

The thing jumped on his shoulder, and pranced over to her, then sat in front of her, and put its head to one side. She stared at it…

'Um…'

He looked to her, from looking to the forest, outside the gate.

'Let him on your shoulder, he won't burn you.'

She looked at him, with one of her sceptic looks, then she shrugged, and lent down to the creature, and held out her arm towards it, it then jumped up to her shoulder, happy as a clam. Her eyes widened as it actually welcomed her by nuzzling the side of her neck several times, and then looked up to her with a grin, knowing it had confused her.

'See…?'

She looked to him with still wide eyes, but the look on his face suggested that what just happened had happened a lot to her, she then looked to the Kit on her shoulder.

'…When it prances like that… its hard to believe that they're dangerous…' She told him in her half stance.

'Well, only enough to destroy half a building at one time…'

Sakura stared wide-eyed to the thing on her shoulder, which was acting more like a cute kitten with nine tails, then a destroying machine, it looked back to her, sensing her look, then seemed to grin again.

'He won't hurt you, he knows who you are.'

'That much is true, since when did…?'

She looked towards him, then shrugged and frowned.

'Can he talk to me?' She tried to choose a question that might get a better-reasoned answer that she would understand.

'Probably…' He suddenly looked to the trees. '…They're here.'

'Who are…?'

Naruto didn't answer her, but came over to her, and grasped her wrist and walked her over to a wall.

'I want you to sit here, and stay with the Kit, okay? He'll protect you.' There was worry sparking in his eyes, she just nodded, afraid, but she didn't know why.

As she sat down, the Kit jumped of her shoulder and started to draw a circle in the ground below, with one of its tails, it went around Sakura, once he had finished, and he jumped to her right knee and looked at her.

_Stay inside the drawn circle._

'So I can hear you.' She was marvelled at the fact that the voice didn't at all sound at all what she thought it would sound like.

_Yes, it will protect you._

'Protect me?'

He nodded to her once.

For a while, she heard nothing, she didn't see Naruto either, or anyone else. It was quiet, til she heard the sound of two-kunai meeting, she flinched, and her eyes automatically closed.

_He will be all right, you know…_

Sakura opened her eyes to see the miniature looking up at her with a frown.

'I know…but…'

He seemed to smile, but said nothing.

Sakura watched as now and again, that they would appear; then vanish afterwards.

'They're so fast…' She spoke in a rush while trying to watch the pair fight.

The Kit's head went to one side subconsciously, the turned and watched, analysing the battle from her knee.

_He can go faster…_

She stared down at the Kit, but said nothing more.

A kunai encountered the barrier; she flung her head to the sound and saw wide eyed at the frozen kunai, which then started to melt.

'That's… scary…' She said while blinking, trying to come to terms with what was happening.

_If that is what you like._

She didn't understand, but said nothing to him in any case.

Then she thought of something to ask of him.

'Hey…umm…Kit…?' She wasn't sure if she was allowed to call him that, but all the same, he turned to her.

_What?_

'Why is he worried so much about me?' Sakura asked the miniature Kyuubi, who in turn looked at her more seriously.

_You noticed, hm?_

She nodded to him, hoping she might get an answer she would understand.

_When this happened, in his time, you were hurt badly… you spent half a year in the hospital, the rest of that year recovering._

She was shocked by the answer.

'…Oh…' She said a little stunned.

_He knows he has a duty to everyone, being the Hokage; however, he does more for you then any other…_

She frowned to the fox that was looking up at her from her knee. '…Because of that…?'

_Human emotions are hard to understand, but he was near tears when you stopped breathing that one time._

'….'

_However, he does not do more then care for you, when you need it._

'Why…?'

_As I said before, human emotions are hard to understand…perhaps you can ask him._

She nodded her head, filing the information away to remember to ask the older Naruto, and took back to watching the appearing now and again fight that was going around her.

Her head perked right when she saw red flames, then left as she saw yellow. She identified the yellow as Naruto, and the red flames were whomever he was fighting. He then pulled out a kunai, then it was beaming in spiked blue, he then flung it towards the flames. The flames then rushed back as a whole towards a tree, where it stopped, and ceased to be whatever it was.


	7. Stances

Chapter 7 – Stances

After a while, he seemed to calm down, his demeanour stayed the same, though, as if he was still expecting an attack from behind.

The Kit got of her knee and the circle drawn around her vanished from being engraved in the dirt, so she got up, in the second, she got up, she then ran over to Naruto.

'You okay…?' She asked him worriedly as she stopped by his side.

'Yeah, he's dead.' He told her.

Sakura smiled, for some reason it seemed like a natural response to her. 'That's good.'

.

In that moment he ran his finger through his hair, told her that he was unnerved, but she also noticed that the whiskers were back on his face.

'Did something happen?' She asked him as the Kit jumped onto her shoulder, she didn't even notice anymore.

He turned to her. 'Hm…?'

'Your whiskers are back…' She told him slowly hoping that it wouldn't offend him that she noticed.

'Oh…' A moment later, they were gone.

Naruto perked up, and then frowned, as he did that the Kit on Sakura's shoulder started to growl.

'We are needed…' He told her, stoically.

'…Where…?'

'Close your eyes.'

Without question, she did so, she felt him grasp her wrist, and then felt a lot of wind pass her face, as if she was moving fast.

When he had let go of her wrist, she opened her eyes… to find herself on the other side of the village.

'Whaa…?' She said her head starting to become confused, as she blinked, trying to clear it. Perhaps she was already insane.

'I can't hear the others…'

'Oh…?'

Sakura watched as Naruto looked around; the Kit was looking around too, and had that look that he was going to go defensive again.

.

Kakashi appeared out of nowhere, fire went up around Sakura, and he stared at it, Naruto shot a dangerous glare to their right, and then caught several kunai with one hand, the fire around Sakura let up, but the miniature on her shoulder was growling menacingly. All of the kunai that Naruto was holding beamed blue then; he threw them to his left.

'That the guy you were fighting?'

Kakashi nodded, and looked as if he was tired.

'You really should stop using your sharingan, you're gonna faint.'

Kakashi shrugged but covered up his eye again.

The miniature was still growling.

'I know he's still there. Stay with her, Kit!' After that, he was gone.

'Who's still there?' Kakashi asked blankly.

At that Sakura shrugged, she didn't know more then he did, she didn't seem to notice, nor did the miniature the look or rather frowning of Kakashi in her general direction.

Five minutes were gone, and Naruto was back, looking dishevelled.

'This is really a pain.'

'You look the part.'

Naruto looked towards Kakashi and frowned.

'I really don't know what to make of that.'

The miniature went back to growling.

'You can stop that you know.'

He stopped growling as Naruto pulled out a kunai and flung it over his shoulder, with perfect accuracy, that both Sakura and Kakashi didn't even notice the person trying to sneak up on them.

Kakashi soon learned, rather quickly, that if something was going to happen, most likely, a thrown kunai was heading towards them, fire would set up around Sakura, and Naruto would catch it, before Kakashi even knew about it. He still didn't get the whole fire thing, and he didn't intend to ask about it.

.

Soon enough, they found Tsunade and her group. Naruto looked calm, but the miniature on Sakura's shoulder said otherwise.

'She doesn't need our help, does she?'

'Hope not.' Naruto replied to her, he had that worried look in his eye again.

'Did something happen to her too…?'

He didn't answer her, and after his silence…she didn't want one.

Another miniature then bounded across the field, and the man Tsunade was fighting lit up in flames.

Naruto sighed and scratched his head.

Tsunade looked to Naruto, after seeing he was there.

'I was doing fine!' She yelled to him.

'Kyuubi thought otherwise.' He told her shrugging one shoulder, Sakura and Kakashi looked from the man to the Kit on the floor near said man's ankle, and blinked several times, in wonder why the creature even cared.

She blinked then sighed. 'Hard to argue with that…'

Sakura went up in flames again, and Naruto caught a kunai with his index finger, sighing at the same time. Tsunade stared at where Sakura once was. Once Naruto had thrown the kunai, the flames had gone.

'I CAN protect myself you know.'

'Against something you can't see?' He asked frowning towards her.

Sakura blinked, and then remembered what Kyuubi had told her…

'Sorry.'

Naruto frowned then he shrugged absentmindedly, but as suddenly he did that, they were suddenly surrounded. Tsunade and Kakashi blinked, Sakura blanched, the Kit beside the older blonde's foot growled, and the said blonde sighed, before gathering his chakra into a blue ball with one hand, at the point it made everyone, including the intruders point to look at it when the little blue ball suddenly started making screeching noises and got a little lighter around the edges, the blonde then threw the blue screeching-edged ball of doom into the air, making everyone watching it as it split apart and hit the intruders; instantly killing them. They fell down dead, while the blonde sighed and the Kit jumped to his shoulder everyone heard the Kit's chuckle towards their shocked faces.

'I got bored after digging through files.' He offered as the only explanation, as he started to walk away, making them all blink before catching up to him…This was Naruto…?

.

Sakura looked around, as they reached the village centre, some things were a little less for wear, but nothing serious as Naruto told her had happened in his time. Everyone, she noticed, were all there, some bleeding here and there, though healers were tending to him or her.

She looked up to Naruto, all the miniatures had vanished, except the one remaining on his shoulder, the one with blackened tips on all the tails. Sakura looked to the version her age he was frowning at the older version of himself as if he didn't want to know what had happened with the miniature thing. She followed the older blonde's gaze, he was looking at the sun, which was deciding whether to make an early day or not.

'…You… okay?' She asked him walking over to him.

He looked down to her.

'I'm fine, just looking.'

'Looking at the sun?'

'A sun that's not tainted by blood is always a good one.' He said to her, making her blink.

'I would hope so.'

From where Sakura stood, she could see his smile, the Kit jumped from his shoulder to hers.

However, something was wrong.

The Kit on her shoulder started to get agitated.

Naruto looked on edge.

Suddenly Naruto disappeared, and the Kit on Sakura's shoulder made to jump, but she caught him.

'Whoa, whoa…!'

Everyone turned to her, to see her trying holding down the miniature, who was trying to get out from under her hands.

'You needn't be rushing!' She told the creature, which was still thrashing around and making weird hissing noises in its attempts to try to escape.

'I REALLY don't think you should be doing that, Sakura-chan.' the younger blonde warned her worriedly, while others looked to her as if she were insane.

'He told me he wouldn't burn me, so I'm holding it to him.' She told them through gritted teeth while holding the thrashing Kit down.

True enough, the said thrashing miniature she was trying to hold down was not burning her.

'I'll let you go, if you let me follow.' She asked of the creature.

The creature stopped squirming, and glared up to her, letting out his intent to know he was angry. Most people in the vicinity cringed, but Sakura stood her ground with the creature.

_I WAS GOING TO LET YOU FOLLOW ME, ANYWAY!_

'You could have said something.' She nearly yelled to it after he growled to her.

The Kit glared at her, and then she put him on the ground.

Soon enough, everyone else was running after Sakura, who was running after the Kit, who was running to wherever Naruto was.

.

Soon enough, they were at the gate that led towards a forest.  
Sakura stopped in her tracks, staring at the trees, she kept staring, but no one else saw what she saw.

'What? What do you see?'

Sakura didn't want to believe what she saw… she saw Kyuubi. It was not miniature one.

The full-blown nine tails one.

'No!'

Something dropped behind her and covered her eyes, and pulled her away from it, she realised that someone was pulling her into their chest.

She opened her eyes and saw white, and a little bit of black clothing.

'….Eh?'

'You okay?'

It was Naruto.

She stared up at him, not quiet believing what she saw, though it had to be him because the marks on his face proved it…

Wait…

'Why are they…?'

'Hm…? Oh…' He looked like he cringed in pain, but the marks didn't disappear.

'What's wrong?' She saw the pain go across his face, and got scared by it.

'It's nothing.'

'Don't say it's nothing, cos it's very well something.' She told him annoyed at the fact as old as he was; he was still trying to keep her safe.

'It's just Kyuubi, don't worry.'

'Oh.' She started sarcastically. 'You mean the thing out there?' She asked pointing outwards.

'Yeah…!'

She became confused. As she looked around, everyone had seen it, the Naruto her age looked quiet shocked to see it, his eyes had already bulged enough; he looked as if he was going to go into shock, if he wasn't already there.

'But that's…' He was saying. 'Wait…' He then looked to his older self. 'What?'

Naruto sighed, and cringed again, everyone saw a cut on his face appear out of nowhere and start to bleed, and the miniature on the floor bristled as if he was hurting.

'Aw, far out, just kill them already, stop playing around.' He said apparently to no one, though the people there knew better by now.

The chakra from outside exceeded and Naruto cringed out in pain even more, a low hiss came from the miniature on the floor, who seemed to be gripping onto the floor in pain.

'What's happening to you…?!' Sakura demanded, she was worried, scared too. Everyone was far too concerned looking at the Kyuubi in the forest.

'The seal for keeping Kyuubi was broken…' He voiced to her through gritted teeth.

Sakura's eyes widened, the younger blonde cried out in pain, which caused more havoc, the older blonde looked from him to Sakura, who seemed to be helpless into what to do.

'As you know a Jinchuuriki can't live without a bijuu, and the bijuu can't live without a Jinchuuriki after being sealed…' He tried to explain to her.

'Didn't know the last part…' Sakura admitted while blinking.

'Neither did anyone else, but you do now. So you see, Kyuubi can leave me for a while, but it hurts both me and him, on the seriousness of how much chakra he uses.'

'And he can do whatever he wants?'

'Hah! He wishes. No, he knows that if he does something that I don't like he loses his little freedom.' He said, grinning when the miniature on the floor hissed towards him.

'… So that's how you were able to do the miniature thing?' Sakura looked to the Naruto her age; who was gripping his stomach and looking to them, and was she was surprised he was even able to guess that before herself.

He nodded and looked back to the forest.

'Okay, okay, that's enough now. I think you've murdered them enough.'

Suddenly, the chakra dispelled, a rushing red glow came towards the older blonde, and surrounded him, leaving everyone else unharmed, then was gone in a few seconds, the cut on his face started to heal itself, and the marks on his face vanished again.

He then dropped to his knee, his arm leaning on it, Sakura yelled in surprise, and everyone became worried, no one seemed to notice the miniature was withering.

He looked up a little, to see Sakura's face looming in his vision.

'Heh… I'm gonna faint….'

Which after saying that, he promptly did.


	8. Sickness

Chapter 8 – Sickness

As soon as Naruto fainted, the one Sakura's age did too.

Sakura was at a loss, she didn't know what to do.

An hour after they had been set down at the hospital, the one Sakura's age was able to wake up, and at least leave.

The older one…? Not as much luck, he hadn't even moved, besides breathing, since they put him down.

They didn't know what was wrong with him.

Sakura was near hysterics, though she wasn't sure if she was allowed to be, but the one her age seemed to be worried as well, heck, even Tsunade was worried! They would both be in the room, but he got sick every time he entered the room, and Tsunade had too much paperwork for it to be ignored. Therefore, she was alone.

Something came clamouring into the room, via the window, and she immediately looked up.

It was the miniature Kyuubi. The one that seemed to have taken liking to her and she came to wonder if that meant the actual Kyuubi had taken a liking towards her. '…Huh…?'

She seriously didn't know where it came from. The last she saw of him, was the day before, she had lost sight of him afterwards.

She watched as it came prancing into the room, and jumped onto the bed, then onto her lap, then he looked towards Naruto, then to her distressed face.

_He wil__l be all right, you know._

She smiled weakly. 'I know.'

Nothing else was said, she was amazed that the miniature settled in her lap, as a kitten would do.

'…I really need some air…' She said to herself, forgetting that the miniature was there. He sat up.

_I think he would be mad if you stayed couped up here…_ He then jumped to the floor, then walked over to the closed door and nudged it with one of his paws, in an obvious sign that he wanted her to leave.

'Only for an hour…'

The Kit nodded, she got up, and the Kit jumped to her shoulder, she gave one last despaired look to his direction then walked out.

Sakura walked out of the hospital, and found a garden nearby, she sat down on a bench, and ironically watched the miniature do something she thought he would never do, he chased the flower petals that were now falling, jumping up now and then on his hind legs to try and catch them. She rested her head with her hands supporting her from her knees; she just sat there and watched the miniature.

'Sakura-chan…?'

She looked up to see the Naruto her age looking towards her worriedly.

'…Are you okay?'

She could see he was worried, it mirrored the look that the older blonde had; she nodded her head, and moved across the bench, indicating that he could sit down.

'Is he okay?' He asked after sitting down, he didn't really know what to call his older self, calling someone else "Naruto" seemed funny to him.

'As okay as he was this morning.'

He nodded.

'Kyuubi made me get some air.' She went on.

He frowned towards her, she then lazily pointed towards the miniature that was still having a ball with the falling flower petals.

Naruto stared, and then blinked every so often.

'Okay…!' He said as if he wasn't very sure what he was seeing, he looked back to Sakura who just looked plain tired.

'Do you need sleep, Sakura-chan?'

'…Can't sleep.'

Kyuubi somehow heard this and came prancing to her from the falling petals, he softly growled towards her, then jumped to her lap, she looked to him.

_Why can__ you not sleep?  
_'Cos I can't…'

Naruto frowned; she was now talking to herself.

_You need to sleep!_

'Yeah…? You're telling me this, why you go and play with flower petals.'

He growled to her, then jumped to her shoulder, and nipped her ear.

'Hey!' She voice rose as she grasped the miniature, and held it to her face. 'No biting!'

_You need sleep. Naruto would want you to sleep!_

'And why the hell do you care?!'

Naruto looked from a very tired yet very pissed Sakura to the miniature she was yelling at, who was in her hands up towards her face. He didn't know what to do about it, yet… didn't want to say anything about it.

'Just because the Naruto you know and obey, for whatever reason, will get mad, why the hell do you care?!'

The Kit in her arms seemed to growl at her, and her eyes darkened.

_Speaking of Naruto, should__ you not see the one next to you is very confused, and the other one is in pain?_

'Yes, and they all lead back to you, don't they?'

He growled.

'AND HOW THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT HE WANTS?!' She exploded a second later.

_YOU __DO NOT KNOW A THING!_

'IF I KNEW A THING, I WOULDN'T ASK!!'

Kyuubi broke from her grasp and started to jump up and down on Sakura's head, while Sakura's eye twitched, while Naruto watched in horror.

_I know that ever since he was with you, __he is calmer! Do you not ever wonder why he always promised you things, EVEN IF THEY SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE?!_

'HOW WOULD I KNOW…?! I'M NOT HIM!'

The miniature looked as if it had fainted.

_You know nothing._

He then jumped from her head to the ground then was gone.

Sakura blinked to where she last saw the miniature, and then she looked to Naruto who looked as if he wanted to run away too, to anywhere she wasn't.

'Sorry, I think I pissed him off…'

'…You don't… say…?' He said carefully, edging away a little.

'Hm… I think he wanted me to figure out something, but… anyways…'

Sakura got up off the bench, stretched then sighed, Naruto looked to her, and he didn't know if he could say anything to her.

'I had better go find him…he is probably at the hospital…'

'Do you want me to help…?' He asked quietly of her.

'What Kyuubi said might have been true, I might not know a thing, but hey, when did that ever stop anyone, mainly me?' Sakura told Naruto while smiling towards him.

Naruto smiled to her, then saw that she really wasn't angry anymore, she was back to what she was feeling before she and the miniature fought.

'I'm gonna go now, you gonna be okay, Sakura-chan…?'

Sakura nodded, he then waved and they both set of in different ways.

Sakura started walking back to the hospital, where the miniature probably was. The whole scene with the miniature played over in her head, even what he said the other day, what had happened in the older blonde's time. He had said that she got hurt, and spent at least half a year in hospital, with the other half recovering… Even the part where he had told her, he had almost gone into tears when she had stopped breathing that one time.

It had to have meant something… but she just couldn't figure it out.

Perhaps if she weren't as tired, she would be able to figure it out.

She got back to the hospital, and walked down the white halls to where his room was. When it came in sight, she turned into it. The miniature was there, on the windowsill, he looked towards her then bristled, then seemed to ignore her.

Great… how was she supposed to apologize to Kyuubi?

Kyuubi of ALL things…?!

She sighed, and then sat down in the chair next to the bed; as soon as she did, she was asleep.

The miniature jumped off the windowsill, and jumped onto the bed, making sure beforehand that he wouldn't jump onto Naruto. He saw that Sakura was asleep, he gave her one of those unbelieved looks, as a fox could give a look that is. He then jumped from the bed to the floor under the chair, and curled up in his tails and went into a light sleep, taking in every noise and determining its worth.


	9. Bickering Disperse

Chapter 9 – Bickering Disperse

Sakura woke with a stir as the sunlight hit her eyes from the window as it rose. Then realised with a jolt, she had stayed where she was the whole night. It was cold at night, so why didn't she wake from the cold?

She soon realised that she had something thrown over her.

It looked strangely familiar to the cloak that Naruto wore. When she looked at it more carefully, it was his cloak!

She looked fast over to him; he had his back to her, and looked as if he was sleeping without qualm. She frowned, he was okay, in a little less then two days. She sighed remember that the one her age had a recovery rate that was through the roof. Of course, he would be okay in less then a week!

She couldn't feel her legs, so she got up slowly and stretched, as she did she realised that she was actually wearing the cloak. Not that she had put it on herself. Now she was very confused, and a little worried.

She felt a weight on her shoulder, and looked to find the miniature on her shoulder with that that knowing look he always had when she was confused.

_He woke up in the middle of the night, and you were freezing! __He got himself up and put his coat on you. He cannot freeze to death, you can._

She stared at the miniature, then to Naruto.

'Right… I knew that…' She said awkwardly.

She sat down again, looked at the window, and saw one of the bluebirds fly past. She sighed then watched as Naruto moved from his side to his back, to his other side, which was facing her, but he slept on. He didn't have his whiskers showing which meant, she guessed, that he wasn't totally out of it.

'Hm… I need a drink; do you think he'd mind me stealing his cloak for a bit longer?' She asked the Kit that looked to her from her shoulder, and gave her that knowing look which was starting to scare her.

_I __do not think he will care if you danced on it and spilt water all over it, if you did that, he would probably be more worried about you getting sick or hurt._  
With a laugh later, she walked out of the room, towards wherever there was a place to get a drink.

Sakura walked around the whole hospital perimeter and found out there was nothing selling drinks of any kind! Not even water!

Soon enough, Sakura was tired, and the miniature looked as if it wanted to die.

She had also noticed she got many weird looks, and then noticed it was because of the cloak, and the creature walking near her left ankle, that was actually walking for once, to keep by her side and he looked bored to hell and back. Sakura didn't find the attraction or the stares funny. She wanted to run up to Naruto in her time and give him a big hug.

She sighed then walked out of the hospital down to the market, they HAD to have something there! The Kit wasn't even holding himself up anymore; he was more of balancing himself on his stomach on her shoulder.

After an hour of searching, she had FINALLY found a drink stall. Grasping a bottle of water, she paid the man, and was off back to the hospital, while finding a pocket in the cloak to put the bottled water in, after drinking some her self. And after Kyuubi had flipped the bottle and took it for him-self. She found herself staring at the creature until she grasped the bottle back from him and he pouted, she had the sudden urge to whack the miniature over the head with the bottle, but didn't, having no idea what would happen if she would.

As soon as she got into the building she went slamming into someone's back, the miniature was forced off her shoulder he made a horrible sound as he crashed to the floor, and she was forced backwards onto her rear.

'Ah! I'm sorry!'

When the person turned around, Sakura realised it was Tsunade…Even worse!

Tsunade started laughing, as Sakura picked up Kyuubi who looked like he was out cold, she made an eerie throat noise towards that. She thought she would never see the day when Kyuubi was knocked out…by hitting the floor no less… then again… this was the same creature that a day ago was prancing around in the falling petals like a little pansy.

'That was hilarious...Sakura?' Tsunade just realised who it was who bumped into her by her pink hair.

'Yes?' Sakura looked up from looking worriedly at the miniature.

'What…are you wearing…?'

'Eh? Oh, Naruto's cloak, I apparently was here all night, got cold, he woke up, he put the cloak on me, I woke up, got a drink, bumped into you…. I think there's something wrong with Kyuubi!!' She broke of her tangent in a little panic for the failed demonic creature, which had passed out.

That was then when Tsunade realised that there was a miniature Kyuubi in her hands, as she lifted it up to her face.

'Hey? Hello? Are you home?' Sakura asked worriedly of the Kit in her hands.

_DO I LOOK LIKE IT?!_ Kyuubi responded to her question.

'Jeez…' Sakura said after she was blown over by the sound.

_That hurt what is th__e floor made out of…?_

'Dunno, Tsunade-sama? What's the floor made out of?'

Tsunade blinked, and this caused Sakura to believe she didn't know.

'There's your answer, she doesn't know. Let's go before you make a scene again…'

Sakura then walked away, while making sure Kyuubi got onto her shoulder, so hopefully he wouldn't fall off, and Tsunade looked as if she was going to laugh again.

She walked into Naruto's room, to find him sitting up and looking out the window, as soon as she stepped into the room, he turned to her.

'Hello Sakura.'

She blinked for a moment, and then walked up to him.

'Are you okay?'

Naruto laughed.

'I'm fine. Hello to you to.'

She didn't know what to do.

'Do you… um… want you cloak back?'

'You can have it for awhile longer.'

Sakura nodded and sat down, while the miniature jumped down to the bed, and looked rather angrily towards Naruto, who looked impassive to the glare whereas others would have probably flinched.

Sakura knew he was talking to Naruto, a recount of what had happened, maybe…but whatever it was, it was a long talk. Naruto didn't even speak, just kept nodding, and looked as if he would laugh here and there.

Not long after the miniature lay down and Naruto looked towards Sakura, who seemed to be dozing off.

'You tired?'

'Hm-m…'

'You should get more sleep, then…'

Sakura blinked. It was as the miniature said. He did get worried.

She made a nervous laugh her response.

By the end of the day, Naruto looked as if he was still tired out. As Sakura walked home, she cursed herself for giving his cloak back. It was warm.

When she walked into the room the next day, the first thing she noticed was that the miniature had jumped to her shoulder, and Naruto was looking out the window. She sat down on her chair that she sat in before.

'What are you looking at?' Sakura asked, interested in what he was doing.

'The bluebirds….'

'What…? Where…?' Sakura walked over to the window, she couldn't see any bluebirds.

'There.'

'Where…?'

'There!'

'Where…?!'

Tsunade took this unfortunate time to walk in, and stood by the door, watching the two like a growing tennis match.

'THERE!'

'WHERE…?!'

'THERE, DAMN IT!'

'DAMN IT WHERE…?!'

'WHAT ARE HELL ARE YOU FIGHTING ABOUT?!'

They both turned in fright and the miniature that had jumped off Sakura's shoulder amidst of the fight, fell of the bed in fright, and yet made that horrible noise Sakura had heard when he fell of her shoulder before.

'Oh dear, the pansy kitsune has fainted again.' The Kit jumped up to the bed, and turned to glare towards Sakura, while Naruto looked as if he wanted to laugh.

_WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!_

'I think you heard her well, but if you didn't, she called you a pansy kitsune, that's harsh.' Naruto retold him, trying to hold in the laughter that was threatening to force its way out.

The miniature looked as if he was sulking, jumped of the bed, and went under the bed, and wasn't seen for a while.

Naruto was looking up at the darkened ceiling again, it was nearing night, and he wasn't cold, Sakura had previously fallen asleep again, she was using his bed as a pillow for her head. However, he didn't seem to mind. He had just given her his cloak again; making sure her arms went in to the sleeves as well, when the temperature dropped slightly, making her shiver. Sakura didn't wake. The miniature finally came up from under the bed, and shot Naruto a look of defiance.

'Hey, it's not my fault; you're the one who looked like a pansy, toying around with flower petals.' He said quietly not wanting to wake Sakura, the miniature shot her sleeping girl a worried look and went back to studying Naruto.

_I was bored, all right!_

'Yeah, yeah…I've figured out how to get home.'

The Kit looked shocked. _You have…?_

Naruto didn't make a response, and after awhile, the miniature suspected that he had fallen asleep; he then shrugged and settled on the bed, and curled into his tails.

Naruto knew how to get home. However, there were several things, which he had to do before that.  
One was being shedding the light on him in this time, and Sakura. This would be fun.  
The other one was concerning Sasuke. This could wait.

Sakura walked out the hospital with the miniature on her shoulder, she was somewhat scared of the foxy little grin the fox had… but… she kept walking.

'Hey! Sakura-chan…!' A familiar voice yelled from somewhere behind her, she looked behind and saw the Naruto her age running towards her. He stopped up short in front of her, the Kit who was by her ankle had its head to one side as he studied the young version of Naruto, of course, he had seen Naruto this age, and still it was weird. He then got up, walked over him, and looked straight up at him, while both Sakura and Naruto blinked at him. The Kit seemed to blink then pull on the clothing by his ankle as if to say he wanted him to kneel down, he did, only then did the Kit jump to his knee and place a paw on his chest, while Naruto looked stunned. The Kit had its head to one side again, then after a minute, he jumped off his knee and went to sit by Sakura's ankle while he got up, again.

'Hey.' She said back to him, ignoring the fact that the miniature had jumped to the top of her head; Naruto looked to her head where the miniature had just jumped to, and wondered silently why she didn't do anything about it, or why she wasn't being burnt by its chakra force.

'Uh…?'

'I don't think you should ask. If I knock him down, the pansy is gonna faint on me again.'

The Kit on her head then started to growl and its chakra flow came out in its growl, Naruto flinched while Sakura did not.

'Yeah, yeah, growl all ya want.'

'…Uh…Sakura-chan…I don't think you should—'

In that split second, the miniature had somehow managed to trip Sakura, who went straight into Naruto, who went straight onto the floor. Both watched stars go around their heads.

As they both came around, they realised what had happened, and shot apart.

'What the—' Sakura was saying but caught sight on the miniature who was sprawling its legs in the air, laugher itself to death. 'I'M GONNA MURDER YOU!'

With that, Kyuubi looked up, stopped laughing and got himself out of her range, then bolted for it(kind of weird that the fact that Kyuubi is scared of her, but still), with a very pissed of Sakura on his heels and Naruto not so far behind her (having figured out what happened).

They both took to the roofs as the miniature took to running in the crowded street, before people had spotted him that was, they soon got out the way, and so then, they both were able to follow him on the ground…Ignoring the quizzing looks and glares as they ran after him.

'I'M SO GONNA MURDER YOU!' Sakura yelled to the running miniature.

_I WOULD__ LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!_

'DAMN IT YOU SOUND LIKE YOUR MASTER!'

_I WILL__ BE SURE TO TELL HIM YOU SAID THAT!_

Kyuubi shot right, into an alley, and they skidded to follow, then he skidded around someone's heels and Sakura stopped, making Naruto stop by via her back, they both nearly tumbled over into the dirt below.

'Now what is going here?'

They both looked up to see the older Naruto frowning as if he was confused. Who had his hands in his pockets, and they both wondered where his headband was for a quick second before they saw Kyuubi poking his head from around his heels, to look up at him.

_THEY ARE__ TRYING TO KILL ME!_

'I highly doubt that, they couldn't even if they seriously meant it…You know how she is, and you still try to piss her off and run her down, you're never gonna do it, give up.' He went on while frowning down at the creature that seemed as if he was cowering behind him, while the two looked at him with a frown.

_SAKURA WILL VERBALLY ABUSE ME! SOAK ME IN OILED WATER!_

Naruto started to laugh. 'And where would she get oiled water from?'

Sakura animatedly pulled out oiled water, and Kyuubi fled back behind his heels.

_I TOLD YOU __SHE IS GOING TO KILL ME!_

Naruto chuckled then looked to Sakura and his younger self.

'What's your side?'

'Well, he tripped me (somehow) into Naruto, who fell to the floor; Kyuubi was laughing so hard—!'

Naruto frowned, but didn't say anything, but looked as if he wanted to laugh.

'No harm done, is there? Kyuubi's being an odd ball like he always has been…'

_She said that I sounded like you! She said that you were my MASTER!_

'Well, that is kind of true….' He stared down at the Kit that was again poking his head out and looking up at him, with an eyebrow raised.

Kyuubi looked as if he had no morals left. The older blonde then sighed; the miniature who was now sitting by his ankle, seemed to forget at the moment what was going on and quickly looked to the blonde he was by the ankle of with a concerned frown. Both the teenagers looked to him, and saw the man was frowning uncomfortably at something.  
'What's wrong…?' They asked him worriedly.  
He looked to them both, and felt the miniature prod his lower leg in confusion with his nose worriedly.  
'I'm getting so many weird looks.' Everyone there stiffened, while the Kit flinched visibly to the teenagers. While the frown was still on, he picked up Kyuubi and let him on his shoulder, even the creature was staring at him uncomfortably. 'And it's not because of Kyuubi. I'm used to them...' He placed his hand over the creature's head as if to calm it. Then his frown increased. 'Damn it, I am not Minato.' Everyone there frowned and blinked, not following his way of thinking.  
'Huh, I do look like him…maybe I should henge…' He was in thought mode now. Then he suddenly thought of something. 'That ought to be fun. Come on, Kit.' With that, he disappeared, leaving the two teenagers blinking in confusion.

Well, that totally failed. Naruto was thinking as he walked away, and while watching the miniature trying to regain any dignity he had left.

'I don't think you should try anymore. How 'bout you take up the role of an adorable nine tailed neko?' He suggested simply.

_ARE YOU SHITTING ME?!_

Naruto laughed and kept walking, all the same, Kyuubi thought up ways to kill him self.

It had been a week, and nothing had changed, everything that happened between Sakura and the Naruto of this time would be somewhat foiled, and it would end up with them chasing a laughing miniature Kyuubi. It was wonders how they never figured out something was up.

Naruto sighed, and Kyuubi came prancing into the room, with a welt on his head, looking very too little pissed.

'Ouch, that looks like it hurts.' He flinched in sympathy for the Kit.

_Why the damn, do you go__t to be so damn stupid now?!_

'I seriously don't know. For how many times I've gotten hit in the head…' He trailed off, and Kyuubi looked at him expectantly.

…_Figured something out yet…? That, which, hope fully does not get me whacked by two very pissed teenagers. I am not sure which is worse, Naruto or Sakura._

'Let's hope. Come on.'

Naruto left the room to find them, while Kyuubi raced to keep up with him.

'Hey! Come here!'

Naruto looked to see Sakura and himself coming towards him.

'Can you tell us something?' Sakura asked, as the miniature jumped from the floor up onto Naruto's shoulder and looked towards Sakura.

'Why the hell is that thing following us?'

'Ehe… so you figure that out…'

Both of them looked towards each other, then back to him, suspiciously eyeing him.

'…Haha… Ja'ne!' With that, he vanished.

'Why do I get the feeling he is up to something?'

'Because he's you...'

With that, Sakura sighed and kept walking.

'Hey! Hey! What did you mean by that?!'

'You're such an idiot. And Kyuubi goes and says I know nothing.'

'Hah. That's hilarious… Better leave them alone, they'll do what they gotta now that they're suspicious…'

_Where does that leave me? __I am bored to heck here…_

'You can always spy on them… Though you might get hit, and run around the whole village…Talk to your other-self, you said you were able to do that before, that sounded like fun...He must have had a heart attack, not to mention Naruto as well...' To the Kit's glare he coughed. 'Hit your head against a wall…?'

_Sounds like fun!_

Naruto looked to the Kit, finding his voice very sarcastic. Kyuubi had grown very none-evilly-sarcastic over the years, something he learnt from Naruto.

'Suit yourself.'

_That I will._

He then lay down and went to sleep curling up in his tails, all the while Naruto was laughing yet shaking his head at the Kit's antics.

Naruto was laying on the bed in the Guest room of the Hokage tower with his head on his arms, looking up to the ceiling, when the miniature jumped onto the bed, and sat near his side, the prodded Naruto's side with his nose then looked to him.

_Today will be interesting for them._

He looked to the Kit with a frown, he couldn't think of a good reason that today could be interesting at all for him or the Kit, the younger Naruto and Sakura were starting to be a bore, and there was nothing else to do.

'How so…?'

_The __Emo-kid is early._

'Ah. Well, this is something to get outta bed for, come on.'

With that, he got up, grasping his cloak, which was on the end of the bed; he left the room, with Kyuubi on his shoulder, to walk to the Hokage's room.

By the time Sakura came rushing into the room, Naruto looked as if he was boring himself to sleep by looking at the ceiling piece above him, and the Kit by his feet actually looked asleep by the way he was curled in his tails, like he didn't care at the moment. However, they both looked to her, once she had closed the door, and frowned similarity.

'Hey, Sakura…Where's Naruto?' He asked; he frowned harder when he said his own name, and yet meant someone else.

Sakura shrugged, and the one in the room sighed as if it was a big to do.

'For the love of Hokage… Kyuubi go drag his ass in here….That would be hilarious to watch, actually...Don't hurt him too much, okay? I will remember it.'

Kyuubi got up, grinning silently at the idea; then nodded and vanished out the door

Sakura looked to him frowning.

'I would rather say what I want to say once.' He told her.

Sometime later, the Naruto of this time came in; massaging a bump on his head, and Kyuubi pranced in after him now looking as if he owned the world, and then jumped to the older Naruto's shoulder. He was starting to frown at his younger self.

'Do I really wanna know?' He asked of the Kit, but then quickly noticed the bump. 'I told you not to hurt him.' He scolded the miniature that was on his shoulder and looked like he was still brooding over something.

_He called me a pansy!_

'Well… you are.'

Kyuubi looked up at him and glared.

'Don't give me that look, you're all demonic looking, and yet you prance around all day, and play with flowers.'

Kyuubi grumbled something and didn't speak to any of them.

'Anyways…!'

They looked stunned to hear what he said; he in return just scratched the side of his face, and looked REALLY bored, Kyuubi who had settled himself in his tails, notched his head a little and opened one eye to him.

'I'll deal with him; I've done it to many times before…' The older blonde said simply, making the other blink.  
_Stupid boy with the Sharingan eyes…He ignored my warning, and went to kill you anyway. _Kyuubi interrupted, and all eyes fell on the miniature, which was stilled curled up in his tails, the older blonde lent down to him, and placed his hand over his forehead. The others in the room blinked not understanding what was going on.  
'We're not talking about Uchiha Madara here.'  
Kyuubi looked to him still with one eye open. While everyone else in the room was watching the exchange between the two.  
_There is a difference? Apart from the whole I am going to avenge my clan…No wait, Madara says otherwise, suddenly Itachi is innocent and everyone in Konoha is to blame? I do not like the kid. He may be better now... You cannot deny he almost killed you…at least five times... _  
Many people blinked to the Kit, though Naruto picked him up as he stood up, and held the Kit to his eye level.  
'…You see…? That's why I have you.'  
_You would be in your grave by now…_  
Kyuubi looked physically scared of the thought, his nine tails didn't even flick, a sign that the older blonde knew that only happened when he was distressed, he, seeing this, placed his hand over his forehead. Then, when he seemed calmer, Naruto situated the miniature on his shoulder.  
'Now…Now…We've lost track of the original thought here.'  
_Thought we were on track. Still talking about the Emo-boy...You have forgiven him too many times..._  
'Like I haven't forgiven _you_ too many times…' His voice was heavily scented with sarcasm, yet they could still hear the other unidentified emotion there. While the sudden trickle of fear went through the others listening in. It was one of those conversations you could easily tell it was said and disputed many times.  
The Kit blinked several times then looked to him and groaned as if he didn't like what was said.  
_I still do not like the boy. He has caused too much of a ruckus for one not of our situation. _  
'True…But current time of things will apply here. Okay?' To those still watching there seemed to be talk among the two that didn't reach their ears.  
Kyuubi nodded and jumped off his shoulder and nestled into the ground close enough proximity to Naruto, he might as well have been lying on his foot.

'Will he know about you…Sasuke, I mean?' Sakura asked out of curiosity.

'Doubt it, he might be smart. But who wants to trouble his small mind any further?' he asked, while the Kit snorted.

He started to walk out, while Kyuubi jumped up, then got ready to jump to Naruto's shoulder, but then stopped as if he had remembered something, then jumped anyway.

'I don't know how flashy it'll get so…forewarn people of a storm, that'll get them to stay inside…Always works.'

'It does?'

Naruto nodded, and then Kyuubi ran along and leaped from Naruto's now outstretched arm and darted towards the open window, then leapt out, and darted upwards, or it could have been downwards, depending on who was watching the figure.

'It'll look like it's going to rain in a few minutes.'

Everyone blinked, but said nothing. Then in a short while later, they ordered that a fierce storm was about to start, people fearing of the last storm they had, didn't even leave their houses.

Naruto walked towards the gate, in a few minutes Kyuubi was back, and the clouds began to swarm, looking as if they were going to rain down.

'Nice.'

Kyuubi looked as if he was grinning, proud of himself, for actually doing something.

He stood looking at towards the main gate, though every now and then the wind picked up, going along with the pretend storm.

A second later, Naruto jumped to one of the buildings nearest and watched silently for a few minutes, til he nodded, and Kyuubi darted towards the gate, to where Sasuke now stood pinned down by what looked like air to the untrained eye.

'Well, hello.'

Sasuke looked up hearing a pleasant-like voice, to see someone he didn't even know standing in front of him, that wasn't standing there a split second ago, he already knew that moving wasn't an option. For whatever type of shield had been put over him, he wasn't going anywhere until he found someway through it, or whoever placed it on him, broke it. He somehow doubted the both of them.

'Sorry to put the hold on you, but knowing you, you probably came here to kill everyone. So yeah… all is far.'

Sasuke frowned.

'Who are you?'

'Ah-hah, didn't take you long. Let's just say, I know you, and you don't wanna know who I am.'

'And why is that?'

Naruto suddenly turned around.

'What are you two doing here?'

'Tsunade-sama asked us to go to see if you needed help.'

'Ah.'

Naruto turned back to Sasuke, who was seeing if he could move even his arm.

'I wouldn't do that…'

Sasuke being Sasuke tried it, and was burned by trying to, and Naruto sighed.

'Told you…'

Kyuubi came bounding over the buildings and looked as if his pace would hurt anyone who got in his way, and when he stopped dust kicked up.

_There are ninja coming through the south and west gates. Have nothing to do with Sasuke. However, they might pose a threat__._

Naruto nodded, and held out his right arm, and several chakra shots of red came from it then were gone in a flash.

'Ninja coming through the South and West might do us some good to spy on them.' He said towards Sakura, who knew what was happening with the red chakra, nodded and stayed where she was; she knew the Kyuubi on his shoulder would be able to tell if anything went wrong. By the look of him, he was still bored, and yet he was growing tired. Her eyes wondered to the sky then to Sasuke. How much strength did that pull on him? Then he had to go and make more miniatures? He was either insane, or knew what he was doing. She went with both, considering it was Naruto.

He turned his attention back to Sasuke, who hadn't moved, not that he could.

'Let's get this over with, shall we?' He wasn't talking to himself, but to Sasuke, the thing on his shoulder growled back to him.

'We all know Uchiha Madara, well they might not, but hey, they aren't concerned at the moment.'

'How did you know about him?'

'I know many things.'

Sasuke was beginning to think that this person had a huge ego, or he just knew his stuff.

'I'm not on pretty good terms with him. So yeah…What he told you about your brother being a spy and was ordered to kill the Uchiha clan was a lie.'

All the people gathered there blinked and either and a blank look or a look of distrust.

'What he did that night was him working alone. Hell I wouldn't take it if he and Madara were good pals.'

Sasuke stared at him as if he couldn't do anything else.

'Listen Uchiha Madara wants to use you to kill Konoha, his last few attempts half only worked.'

'"Half only worked"?'

'Well his first attempt, bringing Kyuubi to Konoha failed, yet before Kyuubi could be sealed, many people and the Yondaime managed to get killed in that time.'

He looked as if he soaked that up, and Sakura looked to the younger Naruto in alarm, but he seemed impassive to it, and looked as if he was listening.

'And his other attempt, well, I guess more than half worked…Because more or less the entire Uchiha clan was cleaned out.'

He looked as if he took that in as well.

He stayed quiet for a while, and no one really expected him to talk.

'How do… you know this?'

'I told you before, I know many things.'

'And that saying is starting to piss me off…'

Naruto grinned to him, but only for a short second, til his attention was turned to his right, and Sakura behind him became alarmed.

'Kyuubi…'

The creature on his shoulder nodded, and bounded off in that direction. Now it was Sasuke's turn to look bewildered.

'That was…?'

'Hm-m…'

'That means…?'

'Hm…'

Sasuke frowned even more, as he did, he could see the same marks on his face as Naruto behind him, he suddenly became pained for some reason.

However, this confused him even more.

'What…?'

'Told you, him finding out would confuse his little mind more then it should.' He said to the two behind him, while then sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose, and his eyes closed.

Then in a flash, he jumped back in a quick motion then was fighting someone. Kyuubi dashed from somewhere and jumped to Sakura, as a kunai propelled its way towards the two, but bounced of as an invisible barrier held it back and melted it. Fire then dashed across the scene. When they looked again, nothing was there.

'That surely was a not complete waste of time, why the heck did you let them through?'

_I was not__ sure what they were doing._

'Ah fair enough. Whatever,'

He looked as if he was bored again, but he turned his attention back to Sasuke, who looked as if he really didn't want to believe what he was seeing this person was faster than himself, even with the sharingan he could barely pinpoint him!

'Yes?'

'…'

'I once said that I would die if Sasuke ever became speechless, but now? I seriously can't be bothered.'

Kyuubi jumped of Sakura's shoulder back to Naruto, who had his hand to the side on his face. Sakura saw his and walked up to him.

'Are you okay?'

'Hm… using too much chakra for my liking…' he replied to her ears only.

She looked worried.

However, he had his attention back on Sasuke.

'So what are you gonna do?'

Sasuke frowned, and Naruto took that, as he didn't know what he was talking about.

'Are you gonna plunder and destroy, or come with us?'

'Do I have a choice?'

'You do. Though I thoroughly want you to get through that head of yours, however thick it might be, what's right.'

'How do you know Madara?'

Naruto sighed, and Kyuubi bristled angrily as if he knew the name.

'I know him because I know Pein, and Pein is just a pain in the spine area. Anyways, Madara hates me, feelings mutual. I think he wants me dead… because he thinks that then he'll be able to control Kyuubi….again.... Not gonna happen. Madara and Pein came to the village in my time, and I fought them, before I could do anything, and before I was aware of Madara, I was sent back here.'

Sasuke didn't know what to make of that, but this person had to be Naruto. The Kyuubi on his shoulder was one thing, the other was the markings on his face, which were showing more clearly now, then when they first met.

Kyuubi hissed again, and then bounded off his shoulder, over Sasuke, and stood there, all the while, Naruto was sighing.

'They never give up. Seriously, I hate this. And seriously can't be bothered doing anything about it.'

All the same, he put out his arm and several red chakra shots fired from it.

'This is going on forever. And no Sakura bringing out Kyuubi won't help further. I would like the village to still stand in an hour's time.' Sakura shut her mouth, and didn't say what he already knew she was going to say. He then caught a kunai with his pinkie and sighed, he had that bored look on his face again, but the kunai turned blue as he flung it back the way it came.

'For the love of Hokage…!'

With that he was no longer there.

'Where did he…?'

Sakura looked as if she had seen it before; and the other smaller in height Naruto looked around worried, and then the miniature bounded off somewhere.

'He does that a lot….Gotten used to it.'

'How long as he been here?'

'For a month I think.'

'Can he get home?'

'….I really don't know.'

Sasuke said nothing more.

The miniature came running around the bend as if there was no tomorrow, skid past them to stop, the rushed back in the same sped, if not faster, with fire spinning from him; they all saw it connect with something with its attack of fire. Sasuke looked up to see Sakura's worried face.

Sasuke looked again to see Sakura blinking, and then she grabbed the Naruto next to her by the collar and dragged him and herself down. As a kunai came running for where her head should have been, then closely followed by a miniature, which rolled over several times to stop him self, before hitting the barrier holding Sasuke down, it looked to her with a serious face.

_I __thought that was going to hit you._

'I didn't even know it was coming.'

He nodded, as they got back up, he jumped top her shoulder.

'How is he?'

_Fine__…Like always. There is a lot; he should not take much longer._

Sakura nodded, and still looked worried.

'Hey, you know, what about me?'

The miniature fell of her arm.

'Ahh…!' Sakura said in alarm as the miniature fell to the ground.

'That was stupid.' Naruto said as he watched the Kit squirm on the floor.

'I agree what the hell?' Sasuke agreed.

_THAT SERIOUSLY HURT!_ The Kit rebounded and glared at the floor, maybe it would dissolve into fire if he pressed enough chakra into it.

'Uh…'

Sakura looked over to Sasuke who was looking at the miniature as if it was not of the world (which of course he wasn't.)

'You heard him?'

'It said that whatever it was hurt.'

'Huh-uh, he said that.'

Sasuke blinked.

Kyuubi got up and shook his head.

_Damn, what is Naruto doing?_

'Which?' Everyone there asked, looking towards Naruto who blinked, and Kyuubi fell over again.

_DO YOU REALLY NOT KNOW?!_

'…'

Kyuubi rolled his eyes, and sighed, then jumped to Sakura's shoulder; then his eyes sharpened as he saw something they couldn't.

_DOWN!_

He jumped of her shoulder, and they got down, Sakura looked from where she was to see a man being thrown overhead.

'What the heck…?!'

'Kyuubi…! Who the heck were those people?!'

_HOW IN THE UNDERWORLD AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?!_

'Good point.'

Naruto jumped to them from wherever he was then sighed.

'That took longer then usual.'

Sakura got up, seeing him.

'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine. They must have been those raiders we could never find…' He looked towards Sasuke, after his attention span gave way, making most of them blink.

'This isn't going well, you couldn't move.'

'You only just remembered that fact?'

'There's the Sasuke we all know…and sort of hate!' He finished sort of awkwardly while frowning to himself.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow towards him, but said nothing.

'I still don't believe I got an answer from you.'

He was now frowning.

'Are you still gonna kill the village, or you gonna go with us?'

'I guess…. I guess that I'm gonna have to believe you…'

They were walking back towards the Hokage's tower, after talking to Sasuke whether or not he was going to have chains or he would come on his own will. He had replied that he wouldn't need chains, because of everyone there. (Aka – Kyuubi and the older version of Naruto, who seemed as skilled as the miniature Kyuubi, and vastly more skilled them himself, which he hated to admit)

It had been a day or so, after the bringing back of Uchiha Sasuke, and already somehow, everyone knew about it. Everyone but the older Naruto was faired by it, but everyone seeing that he wasn't faired quickly jumped to think he told everyone. He told him he didn't, so then they all figured it was a thing he knew (from being from the future type thing).

Naruto was walking away from the room where he left Sakura and himself with Kyuubi. Now, thinking back... seeing the Kit's face, it might have not been a good idea, he looked up to see a face he hadn't see in awhile, and spoke without thinking, again, of where he was.

'Jiraiya…?' His voice was stunned.

He turned around, and he was as stunned as Naruto was.

'Minato…?'

'Oh, hell…If people keep calling me that, I'll change my name. Then everyone'll be happy...Seriously, how could I even be him!!?' He said sarcastically yet angrily, while rolling his eyes.

Naruto noticed that Jiraiya was frowning as if he was confused.

'Don't frown like that. It doesn't suit you.'

Naruto then saw something flash in front of him; he quickly grasped it, and held the now not-struggling Kit to his eye level, while also watching Jiraiya look a little stunned.

'What are you doing?' He asked the Kit, who turned awkwardly backward on his back to face him.

_I fell__…_

Naruto frowned. 'From where…? The ceiling…? Didn't know you could fly now... knew you were a pansy...'

…_YOU __IDIOT…! I WAS TRYING TO GET AWAY—_

Kyuubi then was interrupted by a loud crashing noise, as if someone had fell over something, and Sakura's loud voice. 'NARUTO…! CATCH HIM!'

Naruto turned half away around to the voice while still holding the now struggling and petrified Kit. 'Caught him…'

He noticed as he said this, Jiraiya's eyes bulged a little, as if he was stunned. He then noticed that the Kyuubi's eight other tails he weren't holding onto, were flicking angrily in the air. Then Sakura as his younger self came running up the hallway to him.

'Ero-sannin…!' The blonde running with Sakura shouted, now Jiraiya was looking to the both blonde's then to the nine-tailed-thing in the taller blonde's hand.

'Hah! I haven't heard that in awhile. Now, tell me. What has Kyuubi been doing, to create all the noise? Not that he needs to do much, just let him walk down an overcrowded market street, RIOT! I let him do that once…Had fun results….So many people threw kunai at you...' The Kit suddenly growled at him, and one of the tails he wasn't holding onto whacked his arm, he seemed to ignore it. 'Anyways...What has he been up to, this time? I wasn't out for five seconds...Did he set a wall of fire again? That was fun to watch.' He seemed to ramble on; the miniature seemed to growl at him for bringing the fact up. 'Not my fault you forgot things don't like your chakra nature and that wall was in your way…' This time he snarled at him.

'What does he ALWAYS do?' Sakura replied to him in a scolding matter, after trying to skip what he said, knowing it would make no sense, she noticed the other two were having a hard time processing what he said anyway.

'...Besides, being a pansy?' He asked her sceptically.

Sakura couldn't reply to that.

_Would you PLEASE let go of my tail?_

Naruto then proceeded to drop the kitsune to the floor.

'You didn't say gently.' Naruto retorted sarcastically. The Kit rolled over and had crosses over his eyes, and had animate birds flying over his head in circles. Everyone crouched down to it, curiosity getting the better of most of them, or worry on the older blonde's part.

'The pansy has fainted again.' Sakura sighed.

'Did you expect more?' Naruto asked while looking towards her frowning, conveniently saying this while his younger self and Jiraiya was around, who, of course, had their eye bulging at his words.

'Yeah... kinda...'

'Bad luck, Kyuubi has no dignity left, since... My father sealed him probably...No wait! Back when Uchiha Madara was controlling him the first time...!'

Sakura looked to him blankly; she didn't even understand half of the words that came from his mouth just then.

'You know too much...' She summarised.

'Heh... I got bored...'

'So you look stuff up?'

'Yeah…! Sounded like fun! Digging up old secrets is fun! Now I don't even want to dig things up even more, everything is so overly crossed with everyone…Somehow the leader of underlined Akatsuki seems to know everyone... and everyone knows him…such weirdness…And this happened because of this and this because of that…Huh…I never got around to going to the place where _Uzumaki Country_ was…' He rambled on again, boredly, while the younger blonde stared.

'...?!'

'Shut up.'

Sakura pocked the Kit that still was out cold several times, not noticing the looks she got from everyone but the older blonde.

'It's funny that you expected greater from it...' He told her as he poked the Kit several times, trying to get him to move, seeing as he didn't before.

'Won't he hurt you?' The younger blonde asked curiosity getting the better of him.

'Na, he'll hurt himself in the process, so he never tries anymore. I think he stopped trying after the whole bubble...thing...After that turn of events weren't his fault…Now that I think about it…'

'"Bubble thing"…?' Sakura asked with an eyebrow raised.

'You were there... no... Wait... Orochimaru was being an ass. Was on the other side of the bridge...' He was frowning. 'Actually, I don't know what you were doing... Can't remember much... Remember hurting... bubble-chakra ball thingy hitting several Jutsu walls. Then an explosion...'

Naruto stopped there; everyone was looking at him as if they had been shot at. He looked down to the Kyuubi, picked him up under his shoulder blades, and held him at his eyesight.

'Yo, you failed demonic creature, wake the heck up, you're embarrassing.'

Kyuubi opened his eyes and hissed most of the group backed away as they felt a dense amount of killing intent coming from the miniature, and looked to the older blonde as if he was nuts for provoking it, though he had none expression to say he was worried, he looked more disappointed than anything.

_I __DO NOT FAIL, DAMN IT!_

If someone from the next country over didn't hear that, they must have been deaf or he hadn't allowed them to hear him.

'Hah, yes you do, you can break a damn barrier done by my father, yet you can't break a fall to the FLOOR?!'

_Stop it. Stop it right there. That was not even my fault, Minato made the seal like that! And you know that...Go speak to him about it, I'm sure he will love the company._

'Hah, I think that conversation can wait a bit longer. One talk with him was enough.'

Naruto then placed the Kit on his paws, as he grumbled Kyuubi jumped up to Sakura's shoulder then to Naruto. He didn't notice the way the others were looking at him for his last comment.

'We all know you fail... Jiraiya might not, but that's not the point. You shouldn't even TRY anymore. I told you, you could go a play the role of a nine-tailed neko.'

Kyuubi didn't answer, he just glared, which made Naruto grin. He then looked to Jiraiya who looked confused as hell.

'Yo, Jiraiya...Haven't seen you... in awhile...'

'How the hell...?' That was all he could say.  
'I seem to intimidate people now. What the heck?'

Naruto shrugged, and Kyuubi moved from one shoulder to the other.

'Is that...?'

'Hm... Kyuubi, go tell Tsunade that he is here. And about what happened with Pein, and afterwards with Nagato destroying Konoha. Perhaps we can change just a little.... Deal…'

The creature looked as if it sighed, then nodded, then pranced away. While Jiraiya blinked several times, and looked to Sakura and the Naruto he knew, they both looked unnerved.

'And no bubbles and fire…!'

Kyuubi shot some extreme words towards Naruto, who laughed at them, though most of them rhymed with fire-truck the words, "_go to hell! Kit!"_ was said. Which everyone thought was insane. The man in front of them was playing around...with Kyuubi....

That didn't seem right, to any of them watching.

Kyuubi returned, grumbling, and as soon as he did, he was jumping to Naruto's shoulder.

_She wants to see you, Naruto__, about Jiraiya, Nagato and that darn Emo-kid._

He sighed heavily…Then looked at everyone else there. 'Tsunade wants to see me. Now I remember, I better ask her about the Senju clan…' Both teenagers looked to each other with a blank look and Jiraiya tried not to choke, while the miniature rolled his eyes. '...And if she had a son…' He blinked then seemed to stop rambling, while the three watching him looked as if they would faint, the miniature looked as if it had fallen asleep; he then looked to Jiraiya, and grinned evilly. '…Ja'ne...goddofa-za-san…'

As he slid from the hall, he heard several outbursts of "WHAT?" He left with a satisfied evil chuckle, and he knew for sure that the teenagers would drill Jiraiya into the floor with yells...Shame that would have been fun to watch.

The miniature Kyuubi walked ahead of Naruto, who no one had seen for a couple of hours because he was sleeping, but the miniature then stopped and waiting for him to catch up, when he did, he jumped to his shoulder. Sasuke, in his opinion got of lighter then he had the time in his. He was allowed to leave the house, and was actually made aware of the ANBU following him. Naruto chuckled slightly, and the Kit on his shoulder looked at him questionably.

'Think it's time to go home now, huh?'

The Kit on his shoulder nodded.

'Best tell them goodbye. We don't want them catapulting around Konoha looking for someone who doesn't exist, well does, but not the version they are looking for.'

The Kit nodded again, and jumped of his shoulder and started to prance to the Hokage's door, where he sat and waited.

Naruto walked in, after knocking. Nothing was that urgent. He might be reprimanded back in his time, but he didn't really care at that time.

Sakura looked up to see an older Naruto walking in lazily and Kyuubi at his heels, looking equally as lazy. However, the air around them both suited them.

Naruto looked to Tsunade, with his arms folding behind him; Tsunade looked to him from whatever she was doing.

'I thought it would be good to say farewell before I left.'

Attention sparked at his words.

'You're leaving?'

'Can't stay here…'

'You can leave?'

'I've known for awhile...Thought I'd manipulate the timelines with my presence til Sasuke was here.'

'Ah…'

'So you're gonna have to say goodbye for me. Sakura, as you've probably guessed Kyuubi had fun trying to set you up, and, Tsunade, the next time I see you; I hope you will look better in my time, then what I left in.'

With that said, Kyuubi jumped to his shoulder. Both of them looked as if they just figured out what he had just said. Naruto then nodded to each respectively, and then vanished from their sight, like a glimmer star fading.

A few minutes past before any of them moved, but in the end Sakura sighed.

'I better go tell Naruto and Sasuke, and Jiraiya-sama, if he is still around, that he's gone…'

With that, she walked out of the room, looking as if she was trying to keep her tears to herself. Respectively so was Tsunade.


	10. My World

Chapter 10 – My World

As it seemed the time stopped, but all he could see was darkness, he had no strength what so ever to move. At that point, in time, he couldn't be bothered.

…Until he heard someone crying…

He could hear Sakura crying…

"_I don't know what's going on! One minute he was perfectly fine! I'm out for a second and I come back and he's out unconscious, and so is the miniature!"_

"_Calm—"_

"_I won't! Not until… not… until… he wakes up…I won't…"_

Sakura's look of despair could possibly crack the hardest of people, and send them into tears.

However, not that Naruto could see it.

She saw something stirring out of the corner of her eye, and perked up thinking that it was Naruto.

_I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away  
I keep your photograph and I know it serves me well  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain._

However, it wasn't Naruto. But it was Kyuubi, he was getting up, looking worse for wear, she quickly grabbed him, so he wouldn't fall over, and hit his head, or something anything else the Kit had managed to do over the time, but this category she wouldn't put with him prancing under the falling flower petals. She had seen him do that when there was a huge wronging in time, and this time convulsed with five or so years ago. She didn't know what year it was when he was sent back, though however, she knew he didn't know it. Therefore, she never spoke about it. Trying to keep what a relationship Kyuubi had first, five years ago, had told her. However, sometimes it was hard.

_Because I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away__._

'Are you okay?'

Kyuubi looked up to her, and looked still as if he didn't know what was going on, so she didn't speak, and left him alone, to gather whatever thoughts he could. For she and he knew that he couldn't regain whatever dignity he had lost…

_You've gone away;  
you don't feel me,  
here anymore._

A day went, a night came, and Sakura was forced to remember the first time five years ago when something of a sort happened, and she was at his bedside in the hospital, she had fallen asleep, and when she had woken up, she found that he had put his cloak around her, to keep her warm.

How she wished, that if she fell asleep, when she woke up, the same thing would happen.

However, it didn't.

It never did.

_The worst is over now and we can breathe again  
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away  
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain__._

The Kit that stayed in her lap showed a lot of patience, he wasn't known for it. It something outstayed his span, he would prance out and not come back for an hour or so, but some reason, he stayed. However, this made her worry more.

Like the first time, Kyuubi forced her to leave, but this time there was no younger Naruto to come and talk her out of her revenue, she just sat on the same bench looking towards the falling flower petals. The Kit sat near her, looking rigid, as if expected the world to fall into shadows.

She didn't like this anymore.

_Because I'm broken when I'm open  
And I don't feel like I am strong enough  
Because I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away__._

She walked back,

The Kit's head hung low,

The clouds darkened.

She saw no one.

No one could make this mood better.

…Not unless Naruto woke up...

Sakura sat back down into her chair. It was cold. The Kit jumped back to her lap, and settled there, she unthinkingly started to pet him, but he, now, didn't even seem to mind.

When she noticed… she didn't know what to do.

She looked over to Naruto, and wished he move, apart from his low breathing. She wished he would speak. Like all the times when he had his back to her, he would always seem to know she was there.

However, now, he didn't seem to know where he was himself.

_Because I'm broken when I'm open  
And I don't feel like I am strong enough  
Because I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away__._

She looked up from where her head lay; she had somehow fallen from the chair, to the bed, where her head was now lying. She looked up past the bed, to see the sun coming through the shaded curtains, knowing another night has past; another day would soon pass as well. She saw that Kyuubi had settled next to her, curled up as usual in his tails. Naruto was the same as usual the same spot, same breathing, nothing more, nothing less.

She didn't feel like getting up, so she just kept her head the way it was, and kept her eyes towards Naruto, and watched for anything different…

She never found one.

She felt someone else come into the room. Whether it would be Sasuke or Tsunade, and that point, she didn't care. Unless they could wake Naruto, then she would care.

It turned out to be a nurse, telling her she was cold, the nurse gave a blanket to cover her, the nurse gave a saddened smile, and playfully scolded her that her friend (let alone the Hokage) wouldn't want her to get cold on his account.

Sakura took the blanket, in that excuse, Kyuubi arouse himself, and chided her too, telling her that Naruto would care if she caught a cold on his account.

Sakura felt that she had been in a room that was full of light, the only window was on the right, and it was one of the glasses, that you knew there was something behind it, but you couldn't see what that just was, but the only thing she knew that that room was dark. So dark and it kept getting darker.

Kyuubi sensing that she needed to eat, drink, and just plainly get out of the room, forced Sakura yet again to get out of the room. She left the blanket where it was, and followed the Kit to wherever it was going. Again, this time, she was forced to remember there was no younger Naruto to take her out of her revenue.

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away__._

She sat on the same bench holding a bottle of water, there she sat and watched the falling flower petals, and watched the carefree children run around under them.

Such carefree, they had nothing to worry about…

…So young…

Perhaps she was that young once.

Time might have been better then.

Perhaps time is less cruel to younger ones.

Then again, Time is cruel.

It takes so much away, and it never gives so much, to how much it takes away.

She saw out of the corner of her eye, the Kit, as it were, sitting near her and rigid like the first time, away with his own thoughts.

She walked slowly back to the hospital. She noticed the people around her were so happy. She couldn't stand it, that happy atmosphere.

She started to run.

She ran.  
She needed to run away.

_You've gone away…  
You don't feel me here anymore__._

By the time she got back to the hospital, she was walking again, and Kyuubi had caught up to her. She breathed slightly, and kept walking. She said her silent hello to the staff as she went by. She felt the Kit jump to her shoulder as she rounded into the room; the light coming into the now opened window blinded her.

However, she saw what she needed…

'Hello, Sakura.'

---

_**A/n: Well, so Time is wrapped up and finished. Yay! If anyone was wondering, the song is called **__Broken__** by **__Seether ft Amy Lee__**. And I'm thinking on posting the sequel. XD, so check my profile to see if I have published it. Would you be so kind enough to say whether or not you would like a sequel or not?**_


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